Bridged slot on the insulating and seating cup of a bimetallic pipe surface temperature thermometer

ABSTRACT

An improvement to bimetallic pipe thermometers utilizing insulating tubular seats. The present invention improves the insulating tubular seat by closing off the tail slot along a proximal end thereof with a bridge or stop. Going forward, users of such bimetallic pipe thermometers no longer need worry about the tail of the bimetallic coil sensor unintentionally slipping out of what is currently an opened-ended tail slot.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisionalapplication No. 62/954,319 filed 27 Dec. 2019, the contents of which areherein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to bimetallic pipe thermometers and, moreparticularly, a bridged slot on the insulating and seating cup of abimetallic pipe thermometer.

The bimetallic pipe thermometer is used to measure the temperature ofthe curved surfaces of conduits. To facilitate this measurement, abimetallic pipe thermometer may have an insulating and seating cup thatengages on the curved surface of the pipe, protecting the bimetallicsensor that operatively associates with the curved surface for takingthe temperature measurement. The insulating and seating cup protects thebimetallic sensor from drafts or heat from other sources that maynegatively affect the accuracy of the bimetallic sensor's temperaturereading.

Furthermore, the bimetallic sensor may be a coil formed by rolling abimetallic strip into a spiral, wherein the distal end of the bimetallicstrip, also known as the “tail”, may be bent so as to radially extendaway from the coil. The tail may move due to the changes in temperature,as the bimetallic strip by design converts a temperature change intomechanical displacement. The insulating and seating cup has a slot thatis designed to allow the tail of the bimetallic sensor to move up anddown while not allowing it to turn as the bimetallic sensor winds andunwinds in response to temperature changes. The slot provides azero-point at which the gauge is calibrated. When the thermometer is notinstalled, the tail of the bimetallic sensor can easily slip out of theend of the slot, which could cause the thermometer to lose itscalibration and very possibly become damaged. If the thermometer losesits calibration or becomes damaged, the result will be inaccurate orerroneous temperature readings.

As can be seen, there is a need for a bridged slot on the insulating andseating cup of a bimetallic pipe thermometer, which closes off anotherwise open end of the slot. This element joins the opposing sides ofthe slot (and thus a “bridge”). As a result of the bridged slot, thetail of the bimetallic sensor cannot slip out of the end of the slotwhen it is touched or is being handled. The improvement embodied in thepresent invention eliminates the possibility of the thermometer losingits calibration and/or becoming damaged when handled prior to or duringinstallation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a method of improving abimetallic pipe thermometer utilizing an insulating tubular seat with anopen-ended tail slot, the method includes closing off the open-endedtail slot along a proximal end thereof with a stop.

In another aspect of the present invention, a tubular insulating seatfor housing a bimetallic coil sensor with a tail, the tubular insulatingseat includes the following: a longitudinal slot along a circumferenceof the tubular insulating seat so that the tail protrudes through thelongitudinal slot, wherein the longitudinal slot is closed off at aproximal end of the tubular insulating seat; a curvature along theproximal end for interfacing with a conduit, wherein the bimetallic coilsensor is disposed adjacent or at the proximal end in such a way as tooperatively associate with said conduit; and a top plate along a distalend of the tubular insulating seat.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdrawings, description and claims

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, shown in use, with pipe 30 shown in hidden lines forclarity;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a section view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 3 ; and

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 3 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplatedmodes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. Thedescription is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merelyfor the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention,since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides an improvementto bimetallic pipe thermometers utilizing insulating tubular seats. Thepresent invention improves the insulating tubular seat by closing offthe tail slot along a proximal end thereof with a bridge or stop. Goingforward, users of such bimetallic pipe thermometers no longer need worryabout the tail of the bimetallic coil sensor unintentionally slippingout of what is currently an opened-ended tail slot.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 6 , the present invention may include abridged slot on the insulating and seating cup 12 of a bimetallic pipethermometer 18.

The insulating and seating cup 12 may have a top plate 10 at a distalend thereof, wherein the top plate 10 associates with a clip 24 of thebimetallic pipe thermometer 18. The clip 24 may engage a clamp 26 thatcircumscribes the circumference of a conduit 30 to secure the curvedsurface of the conduit 30 to the proximal end 40 of the insulating andseating cup 12. The proximal end 40 may have a curved edge to conform tosaid circumference. This longitudinal curvature of the insulating andseating cup 12 extends out of plane of a cross section of the insulatingand seating cup 12.

The insulating and seating cup 12 is tubular whose lumen is dimensionedto house a bimetallic sensor coil 20 of the bimetallic pipe thermometer18. The bimetallic sensor coil 20 is secured adjacent to the proximalend 40 so that when the proximal end 40 is secured to the conduit (byway of the clip 24, clamp 26, and fasteners 28) and the bimetallicsensor coil 20 operatively associates with (is seated on) a portion ofthe circumference of the conduit 30 to sense the temperature (gradient)thereof.

The insulating and seating cup 12 has a longitudinal slot 14, as shownin the illustrations. The bimetallic sensor coil 20 has an indicatortail 22 extending from the helical (rolled spiral) bimetallic sensorcoil 20. The indicator tail 22 may be adapted to move as a function ofthe sensed temperature of the conduit 30, thereby providing easilyreadable indications of the temperatures sensed. The indicator tail 22protrudes through the slot 14. The slot 14 would be otherwise open alongthe proximal end 40 but for a bridge 16. In certain embodiments, theslot 14 can simply be machined to include the closed-end bridge. Inother embodiments, the bridge 16 may be retrofitted to a previous openslot 14. The addition of the closed-end, bridged slot would facilitatethe handling and installation of the pipe thermometer, as thepossibility of the tail 22 of the bimetallic sensor slipping out of theslot 14 and the thermometer losing calibration or being damaged iseliminated with the present invention. Thus, the present inventionimproves overall reliability of the thermometer.

Additionally, in any situation that this style of bimetallic pipethermometer is used, the present invention would eliminate problemscaused by an open-ended slot on the insulating and seating cup.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates toexemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of improving a bimetallic pipethermometer utilizing a tubular seat with an open-ended tail slot thatextends longitudinally along a sidewall of the tubular seat, wherein thebimetallic pipe thermometer comprises a bimetallic coil sensorconfigured to convert temperature change to vertical mechanicaldisplacement of a tail of the bimetallic coil sensor the methodcomprising: calibrating the bimetallic coil sensor by confining saidtail in said open-ended tail slot until it is finally calibrated; andclosing off a proximal end of the open-ended tail slot with a stop onlyafter the bimetallic coil sensor is finally calibrated.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the stop provides a stop curvature continuous with acurvature of a periphery of the tubular seat for improving installationof the bimetallic pipe thermometer to a circumference of a conduit.
 3. Atubular insulating seat for housing a bimetallic coil sensor with atail, the tubular insulating seat comprising: a longitudinal slotextending longitudinally along a sidewall of the tubular insulating seatso that the tail protrudes through the longitudinal slot, wherein thelongitudinal slot is closed off at a proximal end of the tubularinsulating seat only after finalizing a calibration of the bimetalliccoil sensor by placing the tail in the longitudinal slot, and whereinthe longitudinal slot extends in a direction parallel with a centralaxis of the bimetallic coil sensor.
 4. The tubular insulating seat ofclaim 3, wherein the closed-off proximal end forms a stop curvaturecontinuous with a curvature of a periphery of the tubular seat forimproving installation of the bimetallic pipe thermometer to acircumference of a conduit.
 5. The tubular insulating seat of claim 3,wherein the bimetallic coil sensor is configured to convert temperaturechange to a vertical mechanical displacement of said tail confined insaid longitudinal slot.
 6. The tubular insulating seat of claim 5,wherein the vertical mechanical displacement is in a direction that islongitudinally relative to said sidewall.
 7. The tubular insulating seatof claim 3, further comprising: a curvature along the proximal end forinterfacing with a conduit.
 8. The tubular insulating seat of claim 7,wherein the closed-off proximal end prevents a vertical mechanicaldisplacement of the tail beyond said curvature along the proximal end.9. The tubular insulating seat of claim 7, wherein the bimetallic coilsensor is disposed adjacent or at the proximal end in such a way as tooperatively associate with said conduit.
 10. The tubular insulating seatof claim 9, further comprising: a top plate along a distal end of thetubular insulating seat.
 11. The tubular insulating seat of claim 10,further comprising: a clip operatively associated with the top plate;the clip having two ends extending beyond two diametrically opposingsides, respectively, of the tubular insulating seat; and an arcuateclamp that interconnects said two ends and said conduit.
 12. The tubularinsulating seat of claim 11, wherein the bimetallic coil sensor isconfigured to convert temperature change to a vertical mechanicaldisplacement of said tail confined in said longitudinal slot, andwherein the vertical mechanical displacement is in a direction that islongitudinally relative to said sidewall.